SMC Spain

Baby foods sold in pouches with spouts — intended to supplement nutritional intake from six months onwards — tend to resemble sugary drinks and milkshakes more than nutritious foods, according to an analysis of products from the UK published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, part of the BMJ group. The analysis shows that these products often have a higher sugar content and lower nutritional density than breast milk or infant formula, and frequently lack the texture needed to help babies learn to eat solid foods.

Among the migrants who have been in Ceuta for several weeks, there are confirmed or suspected cases of tuberculosis, chickenpox, scabies and gastroenteritis. Specialists in public health, epidemiology and infectious diseases explain to SMC España the basic recommendations that must be followed when providing care for this population.

Every summer, algal blooms are common, from the Cantabrian Sea to the Mediterranean. Most play essential roles in aquatic ecosystems and have a high capacity to absorb CO₂. However, some can also cause problems, as is the case with the invasive alga Rugulopteryx okamurae, which has been spreading along the Spanish coastline for a decade.

A team of researchers in South Korea has analysed the oral and faecal microbiomes of just over 507 volunteers and has concluded that, in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer, there is a greater transfer of microbes from the mouth to the gut. Furthermore, not only does this transfer differ between tumour types, but, according to their findings, an analysis based on oral samples is capable of detecting colorectal cancer with greater sensitivity than the standard faecal occult blood test. However, “before it can be used in practice, clinical trials would need to be carried out in real-world screening populations”, the authors explain. The study is published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

A team of researchers in Germany has analyzed various factors to estimate the potential annual forest area burned in Europe by the end of the century. According to their findings, in a low-emissions scenario, the area burned would increase by 39%, while it could almost triple in a high-emissions scenario. However, improvements in fire management have the potential to significantly limit these projections. The authors, who published their work in the journal Global Change Biology, point out that “while reducing emissions is essential to lessening the impact of fires, the results also show that improvements in prevention, early detection, and firefighting play a key role in helping to reduce the extent of the affected area."

In a press release, the pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Merck have announced the results of their ongoing Phase 3 INTerpath-001 clinical trial, which is evaluating an mRNA vaccine (intismeran) in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with completely resected Stage IIB–IV melanoma. There is as yet no scientific publication containing data on improved survival or a reduction in recurrence.

An international team has analyzed sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and at various points in the Mediterranean Sea. The analysis, published by World Weather Attribution (WWA), shows that this year's temperatures have been extraordinary, both in their intensity and how early they have reached such magnitude. This behavior is not only having an ecological impact on marine life, the authors state, but could also exacerbate potentially destructive regional climate events like those that occurred in Valencia in 2024.

Although it is well known that physical activity can help reduce the risk of dementia, a study published inThe Lancet Public Health now suggests that context matters. According to a meta-analysis incorporating data from more than four million people, leisure-time exercise — such as walking, cycling, running, swimming or playing sports — is associated with a substantially lower risk of developing dementia. Conversely, physical activity carried out as part of one’s job is linked to a higher risk of developing the condition. As this is an observational study, it does not allow us to determine whether work causes dementia.

Even though we know it is important to protect ourselves from the sun to reduce the risk of skin cancer, the incidence of melanoma is on the rise in Spain. Why? How common and dangerous is this form of cancer? How can it be treated? In this article, we address key questions about this disease, drawing on expert sources.

The plague outbreak recorded in the Mallorcan towns of Son Servera and Capdepera in 1820, with an overall case-fatality rate of 78 per cent, has historically been regarded as an episode of bubonic plague, a zoonotic disease normally acquired through the bite of an infected flea carried by animals such as rodents. Now, a study published in the journal PNAS, which has drawn on hundreds of contemporary reports—including daily death tolls—and epidemiological models, suggests that the disease was not transmitted exclusively by infected rodents, but was spread from person to person. Therefore, according to the authors, it may have been the pneumonic or septicaemic forms of the plague.